On a very bright and sunny day I met up with Rob at Douglass. I had done some good warming up before I got there and had a fun line covering the micro hip to ledge as Rob pulled up. It was something like front 180, switch noseslide to forward, nollie back shove, nollie front shove, noseslide. It was still fun though. We mostly started on the curb area. Oh yeah, I had a new board and small trucks again. 8.25 with Venture 5.25 High trucks. Not sure why I went for the highs instead of lows, but that’s what I did. My first kickflip felt great. I told Rob that I was 0-40 on halfcab flips the day before and hit my breaking point with the big board. I would like to say never again, but you know me. Needless to say I was happy when I got a couple halfcab flips in a few tries. We were both trying lines. Rob was mixing in wallride nollies, front shoves, kickflips with front and back 50s. He also had a nice b/s flip on the micro hip followed by a solid slam due to a stop rock. Doh. We moved towards the main attraction and mostly lined out those benches/ledges too. I love the cali grind up the yellow curb to start. Rob was starting with no comply or back 180 up the curb. I had a heelflip at some point, some noseslides, a couple crooks. Couldn’t really boardslide. Rob was going for the crazy no comply wallie thing again or boardslides on the longer ledge. We were there for quite awhile before Fuzz showed and then left. Ha. Fuzz started with manual around the curb cut area. I think we chilled for awhile after this. When the clouds blocked the sun it was pretty nice out, but when the sun was out it was so hot. Jack and Carleigh showed. Jack appeared to hurt himself on the first kickflip of the day and a few minutes later put an end to his old chipped up deck. We started skating some more. Rob was going for boardslide to manual. Fuzz, Carleigh and I were going for noseslide variations. Fuzz and Carleigh had good regular noseslides with pop out. I had a fun one to fakie. I couldn’t get the noseslide shove, but neither could Carleigh so maybe it’s harder than she said. Ha. I tried some front noseslides. I was going super slow. A couple kind of worked. Rob was lining out front noseslides with no comply shove up the curb. Fuzz got a couple front 50s. Then I started trying front 50s. And trying and trying and trying and failing and not getting very close. I probably tried 40-50 of them and only kind of got into a couple. Everyone else was sitting and I had to just give up. That is not easy for me.

(setup 8.25 null dream machine deck, venture 5.25 v-hollow, bones bushings, 3 washers inside each axle, 51mm v1 bones stf wheels, es swift 1.5 gray size 11.5, footprint low profile gamechanger insoles)

Hit the dog park before work. Wasn’t feeling overly motivated, but my legs felt good. Things started out pretty well. I got the kickflip – no comply 180 – fakie flip warm up line in a couple tries. Then came halfcab flip which ruined me. I couldn’t land it. I was literally like 0-40. I moved on. I got a first try heelflip. Fakie bigflip, 360 flip and eventually a halfcab flip. I was furious. My legs felt good and I was trying and I just couldn’t land tricks. I think this will be the last day on such a big board.

(setup null perception 8.5 deck, venture 5.8 black icon trucks, venom 88a bushings bones v1 stf 51mm wheels, es swift 1.5 grey size 11.5, footprint gamechanger low profile insole)
(knee pain 0/10)

Got to Broomfield park around 8pm. Garrett, Rob and Carleigh showed up around the same time. Things started slow. Well, maybe not for Garrett, he was ripping out of the gates. Such good style. I had started with the PJ shoes, but they hurt so I put an old pair of Es Switfts on and they felt great. I was swearing off the big board too. I’m not sure how it happened, but all of a sudden it seemed like everyone was in the zone trying hard stuff for them. We were mostly skating the blue ledge. For me it was a fakie 50 switch 180 out first try and I’ve only done that trick once before. I followed it with a first try Joe Hamilton. Rob did a few kickflip front boards and then him and Carleigh were trying front 50 shove out. Carleigh cracked her board really bad, but was still able to skate. She would get a solid one shortly before the lights shut off. Rob did it as well and then got nollie 50 front shove out. I also saw front 50 back 180. Garrett was trying lots of front 180 fakie manuals. He got one with a little love tap at the end. His front blunts on the quartapotty were sick looking. I ended up stacking quite a few tricks for me. Front 5-0 front 180 out, front 50 back 180 out, fakie nosegrind (I’m not actually sure the truck really grinded), a front nosegrind with a love tap, back 50 shove (so slow). I remembered to try and ollie the 6 stair. I committed the first two tries, but splatted for reasons I don’t understand. I bailed the third try and then the lights shut off. Such a fun night.

(setup null perception 8.5 deck, venture 5.8 black icon trucks, venom 88a bushings bones v1 stf 51mm wheels, es swift 1.5 grey size 11.5, footprint gamechanger low profile insole)
(knee pain 2/10)

After a long day at work and some food I ended up at the school across the street in the back alley. The lights aren’t great, but there are a couple good spots. The PJ shoes felt weird initially again. Kickflips did not come easy. Nothing did. Struggled with halfcab flip, heelflip. I had thought about f/s halfcab heeflip all day and wanted to land one. But between the new shoes and the big setup I couldn’t. The session was seriously terrible except a first try treflip and the fact that my feet and knees didn’t hurt at all.. until the next day when I woke up with a bad case of Plantar Fasciitis. Argh

(setup null perception 8.5 deck, venture 5.8 black icon trucks, venom 88a bushings bones v1 stf 51mm wheels, new balance numeric 533v2 brown/gum size 12, stock insoles)
(knee pain 0/10)

Work late this week.  After dinner and some soccer with Ollie it was dark.  I went to the research area wanting to skate flat in the newer concrete areas.  I started in the area that has the little 2 stair.  Oh yeah, seeing as how the vulcs ended up hurting bad last time and the 868s are just too bulky I tried some new shoes.  PJ 533v2s.  They felt very different when I started and impossible to skate.  It bummed me out.  I would kind of get things going a little bit.  I suck so bad at flatground lately.  Changing shoes almost every time I skate and the bigger setup are not helping.  I got a couple lines with 180s down the stairs and basic kickflip variations.  I got annoyed with the lights shutting off/on and went to the other new area with the wood benches.  After a slam on a fakie flip I went up to the ledge and finally had a little fun.  Noseslides, noseslide to fakie.  I slammed hard on a noseslide to fakie and screamed.  Got up and tried it again and landed it.  It was refreshing to be so upset about not landing a trick. Because lately I seem to not get upset and also not really try hard.  I got several crooks, but they were just little quick jibs. One bad back axle stall. I tried switch varial flip on the way up the hill and kickflips down the hill. It sucked dodging all of the roly polys. I got a decent feeling halfcab noseslide then a better crooks and called it a night.

(setup null perception 8.5 deck, venture 5.8 black icon trucks, venom 88a bushings bones v1 stf 51mm wheels, new balance numeric 533v2 brown/gum size 12, footprint gamechanger low profile insole)
(knee pain 2/10)

Feeling very unmotivated I headed out to this spot before Rob or Carleigh were ready to skate. I was wearing vulcs again as the bulky 868s made me feel so clumsy. This would turn out to be a bummer as my feet just ended up hurting and I hardly committed to any flip tricks. I had a couple warm up lines to get going. Manual, front 50, kickflip. Fakie 50, switch 50, fakie flip. The switch front 50 on the tiny curb was fun. Carleigh showed and after calming Ella down did a second try front 50 that was perfect. Unfortunately they all weren’t that easy for her, but she got quite a few more. Some nice kickflips, some back 50s on the lower curb. She also had some lines with shoves, nollie shoves, etc. Rob showed and had some fire. Manuals, manual body varial, nose manual 180, back 50s, etc. The photo is of a sick halfcab back 50 near the end of the session. Rob had clean snaps over the flat bar. I was amazed that I used to be able to ollie up the ledge. I couldn’t even get close this time, I did at least get up into deck check. I almost got a line that sounds good on paper. Fakie 50, switch 50, halfcab flip on flat, ollie the flat bar. But I clipped on the flat bar and fell. My feet started hurting so bad by the end. Argh. The shoe/insole game for pain sucks so bad. I am jealous of Rob who has found a shoe that works so well for him.

(setup null perception 8.5 deck, venture 5.8 black icon trucks, venom 88a bushings bones v1 stf 51mm wheels, new balance numeric 255 cream/gum size 12, spenco 3/4 thinsole orthotics and thin nb# insoles)
(knee pain 3/10 and foot pain that stopped me after a couple hours)

Fun times yesterday at the gnarliest spots on campus. @43shifty @_f_u_z_z @fullertrron #thestubborns

A post shared by glen gillinghammer (@corpoglenny) on Aug 19, 2018 at 6:42pm PDT

After setting up a new board at 303 I went to the meetup curb on a Saturday with rain threatening. Rob pulled in about the same time as me and we were both surprised when the sun came out and the clouds disappeared. We had lots of people watching entertainment as parents would pull in with no clue if they were supposed to pay for parking or where to park. I was wearing the 868s again in hopes of less sore feet. They weren’t feeling great. Anyways, we skated and skated and it was fun. We both were on slappy crooks as that curb is great for it. Rob had some cool crooks popped 180 out and some that were close to 270 out. I tried a bunch of kickflip back tail stalls and got close, but never put it down. Then I started hucking slappy front crooks and they were working! Eventually I would ride out of them and man it felt cool. Dave showed. Fuzz shortly after. Lines were had a bit more. Dave did fakie ollie into the curb cut, switch front 180 off the next curb cut then front tail or front 5-0 the curb. Fuzz mirrored it with nollie into the curb cut, back 180 out the next one, switch front tail the curb. Rob did some kickflip fastplants and then pop shove noseslide to fakie.

Then we attempted to move into campus and hit something different than the normal spots. We succeeded. Rob had left. We found this perfect parking block gap to two stair. I immediately started trying no comply flips over it. Dave was on no comply to manual, spracks over the parking block, ollie up the two stair. Fuzz was chilling. I eventually started getting kinda close. Dave was kind enough to film. But I eventually gave up on the flip and just went with no comply. I got a really sloppy one and then a less sloppy one. I was too tired/sore to keep trying.

Then we looked at some other spots and Dave found this funny little angle iron ledge. My legs were so sore I could barely ollie onto it. I only managed front 50. Fuzz and Dave had more fun. Dave Did front 50, back 50, ollie the 3 then the nosestall 270, the front 50 spin 270 was epic. Fuzz had some solid back 50s, the front 50s and manualled down the block. Pretty fun day.

(setup null perception 8.5 deck, venture 5.8 black icon trucks, venom 88a bushings bones v1 stf 51mm wheels, new balance numeric 868 black/gum size 12, footprint gamechanger low profile insoles)
(knee pain 3/10)

Feeling so incredibly lazy after a nap on a Friday I had a few minutes before the family wanted to hang out so I went in front of the house to skate some flat. I had put some old 868s on that have been sitting in my closet in hopes that my feet would hurt less. It worked. I was committing to tricks again. That doesn’t mean I skated great, those shoes are stiff and weird, but it felt good to try. Although now that I write this I realize the trick list is very small. Kickflip, fakie flip, halfcab flips, bs flip. Man, is that it? I guess I had a hand down treflip, landed on heelflips, got really close to halfcab heelflips, nollie tres, even nollie flip. I went into the house feeling better so that’s something.

(setup null rabethica 8.5 deck, venture 5.8 black icon trucks, venom 88a bushings bones v1 stf 51mm wheels, new balance numeric 868 black/gum size 12, footprint gamechanger low profile insoles)
(knee pain 1/10)

Went to Douglass around sunset feeling pretty blah and not having much confidence. I felt pretty good starting out, but I felt really rusty. It’s sad how a couple days off can really mess with me. But more than anything I guess my feet hurt. My knees felt great, but my feet were hurting. Maybe too many vulcs in a row. So that made it a little hard to commit to flip tricks. I had another awkward fall doing a little front 180 off the wide ledge. I bailed the little cali grind up/down on the yellow curb several times before getting it. Noseslides on the main ledges worked. Got a tiny crooks. Front board the end of the long ledge. The main ledges aren’t lit very well so I went in on front 50 until I got a baad one. It was harder than it should be. I kept thinking I was going to do it, but my back leg just doesn’t get up there. Argh. It was made more difficult by the poor lighting. I did get one though and it felt pretty good. Then I wanted to try a line of front shove off the wide ledge, noseslide the curved ledge then come back around and try to ollie the ledge that everyone ollies. One front shove bail and a teacher pulled up and parked right by there and asked me “do you live in the neighborhood?” Not really sure what that means, but whatever, at least she didn’t try to give me the boot. I tried the noseslide then ollie for awhile. I got nowhere close to the ollie. Didn’t even feel like I made progress towards being able to do it in the future. Then I moved to the curb on the side and tried yet another line to motivate for the ollie. Front 5-0 the end of the curb, treflip on flat then ollie. The front 5-0 was hard because I never come off the end of ledges. I eventually got it a few times, but couldn’t get my feet to commit to the treflip. Argh. I eventually did a line of 5-0, no comply 180, halfcab flip and tried the ollie. It wasn’t close at all. I left. And when I left I bailed the cali grind again. Argh. What a frustrating night. I guess I did try stuff that is hard for me, but still.

(setup null rabethica 8.5 deck, venture 5.8 black icon trucks, venom 88a bushings bones v1 stf 51mm wheels, new balance numeric 255 cream/gum size 12, spenco 3/4 thinsole orthotics and slim nb# insoles)
(knee pain 1/10 but my feet were very sore)

Not wanting to miss another day of skating, but not having much time I went across the street on a warm afternoon and went after the curb. The curb isn’t as magical as it was at first, mainly because there are pebbles everywhere. But I had fun. Started with 50s. Did front and back 5-0s that were intentional. Randomly tried front 5-0 to front board. Took awhile, but it was fun. Had a few fakie 50s that I tried to turn into boardslide, but that didn’t work. Failed at switch crook, fakie back tail, kick back tail and treflips on flat.

(setup null rabethica 8.5 deck, venture 5.8 black icon trucks, venom 88a bushings bones v1 stf 51mm wheels, new balance numeric 255 cream/gum size 12, footprint gamechanger insoles)
(knee pain 1/10)